Pure Magic (Black Dog Book 3) (42 page)

Ezekiel closed his eyes for just a moment, looking shaken. Then he lifted one hand to touch her face, and said, “It was a promise from me, too. Last night.”

“Good,” said Natividad. She leaned forward and touched her lips to his, very lightly. “A year,” she said.

“To the day,” Ezekiel agreed. “Don’t forget me.” His mouth had crooked upward, but behind the smile there was something else, something tight-leashed and intense.

“As if,” said Natividad, shoving him lightly. She saw that intensity too, clearly; clearly she knew exactly what it comprised. Her eyes were alight with unmistakable happiness.

Justin looked away from them, not to intrude on such a private moment, and found himself looking straight into Keziah’s dark-amber eyes. She wasn’t smiling. He took a short step toward her. “A year sounds about right to me, too,” he murmured. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t sure what his expression showed, but he was sure it wasn’t a smile. He said in a low voice, wanting only her to hear him, “A year to live in the same house. A year to find out just how much you don’t scare me. Then we should know each other a little better. Then we can think about . . . things.”

Keziah said nothing, but she did not look away.

“You know, we never did make it all the way to my grandmother’s house,” Justin pointed out. “I still need to visit her, sometime. Now . . . maybe now more than ever. Especially if she might know something about my mother, about what she was, what she did. Anyway, she’s my only relative now.” He paused. He would have loved to introduce Keziah to his mother—he thought they would either have gotten along just great or else their meeting would have been a clash of the titans. He’d never know which, now. That thought hurt. He knew it would hurt for a long time. But he guessed Grandmother Leushin would love Keziah; she always said a girl couldn’t be too fierce or too determined. He said, not quite so low-voiced now, not minding if Grayson or anyone else overheard, “It’s a long way. I guess we know now just how long a journey it can be. Since I need a bodyguard to venture out in the big, bad world, maybe you can escort me.”

“Maybe,” said Keziah, her eyes steady on his. “Yes.”

A direct stare was supposed to be a challenge for a black dog. A challenge, or a threat. Justin didn’t think it was a threat. It might be a challenge, but if it was . . . he thought it might be a challenge he was willing to meet.

I hope you enjoyed this second full novel set in the world of
Black Dog
! As you can see from the “other works” section at the beginning of this book, I intend to bring out another set of short stories set between
Pure Magic
and the as-yet-unwritten third novel in the series. My hope is to eventually complete a series of five novels in this series, with short stories set between each novel and the next.

For news about the
Black Dog
series and about my other fantasy novels, please visit
www.rachelneumeier.com
. If you enjoyed this or any other book of mine, I’d appreciate it if you would leave a review at
Goodreads
or
Amazon
or any other site you prefer.

Black Dog Series:

BLACK DOG, Black Dog volume 1

BLACK DOG SHORT STORIES, Black Dog volume 2

PURE MAGIC, volume 3

BLACK DOG SHORT STORIES II, forthcoming, volume 4

SHADOW TWIN, forthcoming, volume 5

THE CITY IN THE LAKE (Knopf)

The Griffin Mage Trilogy (Orbit):

LORD OF THE CHANGING WINDS

LAND OF THE BURNING SANDS

LAW OF THE BROKEN EARTH

THE FLOATING ISLANDS (Knopf)

HOUSE OF SHADOWS (Orbit)

THE KEEPER OF THE MISTS, forthcoming Spring 2016 (Knopf)

THE MOUNTAIN OF KEPT MEMORY, forthcoming Fall 2016 (Saga)*

THE WHITE ROAD OF THE MOON, forthcoming Spring 2017 (Knopf)*

THE WINTER DRAGON, forthcoming Fall 2017 (Saga)*

* Titles subject to change

BLACK DOG

“It’s the kind of book that made me resent the obligations of ordinary life because I just wanted to keep reading.” – Sharon Shinn, bestselling author of the Samaria series

HOUSE OF SHADOWS

“I loved
House of Shadows
. The characters, writing, and magic captivated me, but there was a lot to love in the details as well – the dragon, the cats who were characters in their own right, female characters with different situations and types of inner strength, and just a little bit of romance.” -- Kristen at Fantasy Book Café.

“
House of Shadows
possess certain qualities of mystery and intrigue, but the driving force came from the characters and their individual, detailed stories. Despite the multiple narratives and points of view, the author miraculously pulled it all together for a very climactic ending.” -- Gina at My Precious

THE GRIFFIN MAGE TRILOGY

“The Griffin Mage Trilogy is recommended to anyone who enjoys a fantasy story that focuses on vivid storytelling with more emphasis on interaction instead of bold fighting.” -- Jasper de Joode, Fantasy Book Review

“A theme running throughout the trilogy is the importance of trusting people with the freedom to make their own decisions, even if you may not like the result. The plot of
Lord of the Changing Winds
is full of difficult moral choices, so if you like your fantasy to be subtle and complex, this could be the trilogy for you.” Geraldine at Fantasy Reads

THE FLOATING ISLANDS

An ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection

A Junior Library Guild selection

A Kirkus best-of-2011 selection

“Intelligent, richly detailed fantasy featuring two young cousins battered by losses, personal passions, and larger events . . . The author delineates complex characters, geographies and societies alike with a dab hand, deftly weaves them all – along with dragons of several sorts, mouthwatering kitchen talk, flashes of humor, and a late-blooming romance – into a suspenseful plot and delivers and outstanding tale that is self-contained but full of promise for sequels.” – Kirkus Reviews, starred review

THE CITY IN THE LAKE

“It’s the poetic, shimmering language and fascinating unfolding of worlds that elevates this engrossing story beyond its formula . . . Fans of Sharon Shinn’s books will find a similar celebration of the natural world – from the dense darkness of a forest to the ‘crystalline music’ of the stars – in this vividly imagined debut.” -- Booklist, starred review

“For fans of Juliet Marillier, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Sharon Shinn, looking for that next fix of luscious, romantic, flawless fantasy? Look no farther.” -- Thea James, the Book Smugglers

“OH MY GOD, I was so not prepared for how awesome this book is. Prose, setting, story, characters, everything is top notch and I too loved this book.” – Ana Grilo, the Book Smugglers

As always, my agent, Caitlin Blasdell, greatly improved this book with her insightful advice about plotting and pacing.

Sarah Prineas, author of
The Magic Thief
series, the
Winterlands
trilogy, and the Cindarella retelling
Ash and Bramble,
gave me invaluable feedback about characterization both for
Black Dog
and for this book.

Stephanie Burgess, author of the
Kat, Incorrigible
series, was kind enough to read through the finished draft right before publication, thus allowing me to correct a few important details at the last minute.

Abi Warner and Melissa Stevens corrected my Spanish. Any remaining mistakes are undoubtedly mine and not theirs. My mother was my first proofreader – thanks, Mom! Mike and Linda Schiffer kindly agreed to read the final manuscript One Final Time to check for lingering typos.

And thank you to all the authors who encouraged me to dip my toe into the intimidating world of self-publishing, either directly or simply by their example.